Last night the Town Council unanimously passed an Emergency Ordinance that has set guidelines for travelers coming to the island from the mainland, discourages non-residents from coming to Block island, limits the number of people that can gather together, essentially shuts down Town Hall except for a minimal amount of personnel, and cancels all but the most essential town meetings.
The ordinance will be in full force until April 15, 2020.
The council fine-tuned the ordinance at a sometimes tense emergency meeting on March 17, 2020.
Perhaps the primary point of contention was who should be required to self-quarantine if they have traveled from the mainland to Block island. The council at first discussed instituting a radius on the mainland. If travelers arrived from within that area they would need to self-quarantine.
In order to get some guidance on the matter, Councilor Martha Ball made a call to Dr. Mark Clark who said that idea of implementing a radius “does not solve your problem. If someone is on the island [with the virus], you’ve broken the seal.” Dr. Clark has strongly recommended that everyone on Block Island practice social distancing.
Concerned that the town could not yet
